Where Loyalty Lies
by TheOneTrueOverlord
Summary: Centred around OC (Daniel), a cook in a tyrannical King's kitchen, in search a for his father who threw him out onto the streets when he was a boy and left him to die. Daniel has an incalculable rage that can not be sated. Nothing will change his mind, except a cunning mind with blue-grey eyes and a wicked tongue. Merlin A/U. My interpretation of Merlin and the Arthurian Legend.
1. Blue-Grey Eyes

"Oh! I'm so sorry! It was an accident. Please, I like my job."

"What?" An amused smile crept across the Lady Morgana's features. Daniel stared into her beautiful blue-grey eyes, they met with his and stared into his vibrant green with a brown ring around the iris.

"I'm sorry. I'm not meant to be doing this, but I'm helping my friend with his impossible chores and I—"

"It's ok." Her calm voice was so sweet and almost amused at his blustering. "I don't think you can see over this mound of clothing." She bent down and helped him gather up all of the material scattered across the floor after they had ran into each other.

"Not really, but I shouldn't be walking into royals none the less."

She looked up at him. "I'm not a royal, I'm just under the kings protection."

"Same thing for me. You're higher than me so I shouldn't even be talking to you."

"Nonsense. If everybody lower than me never talked to me, I'd be very lonely."

"Well you have the king and his court... and Arthur."

"Arthur's a pig."

"Yeah, he is." Shock and dread swept over his features.

The Lady only looked even more amused.

"I should not have said that. Please don't have me flogged."

"Don't worry. It'll be our little secret." She smirked and winked at him. "What brave man dares to insult their crowned prince in front of a courtier? You must have a very brave heart."

"Or a stupid mouth which doesn't know when to shut up when its needed to."

"I'll go for the heart, sounds better."

"Indeed it does. But alas it's not true."

"So come on, what's your name?"

"Daniel."

They both stood up, having collected all of the material, and he held out his arms for her to place hers in them, but she merely tucked a black, curly lock behind her pale ear, and held onto them and started walking.

"Milady, please, let me take them."

"I can carry them fine. Where are you taking them?"

Daniel was slightly taken aback. No lord or lady had ever showed him that kind of kindness before. He blinked a few times before answering. "To the kitchens to be washed. I will be fine if I carry them by myself if you would prefer to go wherever you were going."

"Are you saying I can't carry a bundle of clothing? It's ok, I'm not going any where. I was just walking around the castle aimlessly, so now you have provided me with a distraction. Besides, we can't have you possibly walking into someone else because you can't see."

"Ok. To the kitchen it is."

They started walking, servants bowing to The Lady Morgana as they walked past.

"So, who are you helping with chores?"

"Merlin."

"Oh of course you are."

"You know him?"

"He's Arthur's servant, of course I do. Arthur has him at his beck and call, so the poor boy is almost always by his side, never mind all the chores he has to do as well."

"He's helpless, but he does have an overwhelming amount of chores he is required to do everyday, so I try to help out."

"He _is_ helpless." She agreed. "So I suppose this is Arthur's dirty clothing."

"Yes."

"He has an awful lot."

"Merlin hasn't been able to clean anything for the last four days. Arthur's had him take care of the knights also staying here."

"You know, sometimes, I think Arthur really has no idea that Merlin is a human being. He's practically asking him to do magic."

"You speak treason my lady."

"Well now you have a secret about me as well. So what do you do? I assume you already work in the castle."

"Yeah, I'm a cook, mixed with scullery work. So obviously I have access to the kitchens to help him wash the clothes."

They rounded the corner and entered the kitchens teaming with bustling servants preparing for dinner. They all seamed to halt as they noticed Morgana standing in their midst, holing a pile of washing. They all bowed, slightly confused why she was carrying clothing and standing next to Daniel.

He headed over to the basin, placed all of the washing on the table next to it and rolled up his sleeves. He expected Morgana to simply place the washing on the table and leave, but she in turn rolled up her sleeves and placed a t-shirt into the water and started kneading it. He hesitated for a second, unsure of how to proceed, but then went up next to her and did the same.

"Why do you look so bewildered? I may be the king's ward but I can actually do manual labour, and this, this is easy."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you actually have a maid, or do you do all of your own chores?"

"Don't joke about Gwen, she's a charm."

"Gwen?!"

"Yes?"

"I didn't know she worked for you."

"You know her?"

"She's my sister. Well, her family took me in."

"Really? So you'd be the one who didn't leave without any warning."

"Yeah. Doran just kind of left. He said he had a great job opportunity somewhere and then vanished the next night. I know it was his decision to make, but I can tell Gwen's silently hating him. I am too I suppose."

"Any idea where he might have gone?"

"None, besides the fact that I know it's not overseas."

"What makes you think that?"

"Oh, well he told us that it wasn't."

"You are very perceptive."

"Why thank you."

They talked all the way through the washing and drying, Morgana never complaining about how much there was, only that Arthur was a pig sometimes for making Merlin do all of these on top of everything else. Daniel occasionally allowed himself to agree with her, especially when she bullied him into it. And to Daniel's horror she and touched him—a number of times—but none more so than when she had ruffled his chestnut brown hair with her soap ridden fingers. He had splashed her with a bit of water before he knew what he was doing and he saw the amazed looks of passing servants giving him stern looks at his audacity.

They were finally heading back towards the castle when Daniel realised what the time was. "Shit!" He exclaimed and started to hurry. He realised what he had just said and that he had said it in front of the king's ward, and he almost stumbled. "I apologise profusely, that kind of language is inexcusable, especially in front of a Lady like yourself."

"It's fine." She smiled. "It shows you have balls."

He almost stumbled again at her words but caught himself and smiled. "Thank you. I really need to go now. The head cook with have my neck if I'm not there soon, especially since she saw me with a lady."

"Worried she'll think we've been doing something inexcusable instead of work?" She gave him a coy smile.

He did stumble that time, almost face planting into the stone stairs they were ascending.

She laughed hysterically, stopping in her tracks and bent over. "Your face and—" A laugh smothered the rest of her words.

Daniel tried to straighten and smooth his clothes down, trying to brush off what he'd done, but half of the people in the courtyard had seen him trip, and the cackling woman next to him was drawing even more attention. "I've never heard a lady say such... foul words."

"Well that would make me no lady?"

He opened his mouth but then closed it, remembering the face of the cook who would skewer him if he didn't go now. "I have to go."

"Nice to meet you, Daniel."

He didn't get the chance to reply as he was sprinting through the doors.

* * *

"You work for Morgana."

Gwen almost jumped out of her skin. She had just arrived home—one that she shared with her father—and she hadn't expected her brother to be there. He hardly visited their house any more after getting enough money to buy his own, and he normally only visited in the day.

"Jesus Dan," She clasped a hand over her heart. "I didn't know you were going to be here tonight."

"I wasn't, but I met Morgana today and she told me that you worked for her. Well done."

"I didn't think that it was important." She pulled the string of her cloak loose and shrugged it off.

"Gwen," he got up from his chair and approached her. "It's amazing, you got a spot in the royal house."

"Yes, that's what happens when you work very hard."

"Now you're just being rude."

"Yes well why are you making it such a big deal?"

"Because—" He cut himself off. "Why aren't you? You must be earning so much. And she actually seems nice."

"Yes, she is. Why are you here, Daniel? I'm sorry but I'm really tired and drastically need sleep."

"I came here to talk to Dad. He has something he is very proud of to show me. He'll be back soon, then we're heading out, so you'll have the house all to yourself. Get the desperate sleep you need."

"Daniel..." She trailed off.

Daniel studied her rich brown eyes. They twinkled in the candle light, but they seemed like had a shadow behind them, as if they were actually dull.

"Has someone hurt you?" Daniel said as he noticed the dark bruising around her left eye.

She looked away. "No. I tripped yesterday with Morgana's food and the edge of the plate almost gouged out my eye. Gaius says I'll be fine in a week or two, it'll just be a little sore."

"And if I go to Gaius and ask if he treated you for a plate hitting you when you tripped over he'll tell me that it actually happened."

"Of course."

"I've known you for eleven years, Guinevere. Don't think you can lie to me. You always look away when you're about to lie. You're too good a person, sister, to look someone in the eyes and lie. Who did this."

"It's ok."

"Gwen, you're still looking away."

"Yes I am."

"Gwen..." Daniel reached for her arm but she tugged it away.

"You don't know what it's like, Dan. You're ok, you're normal. You don't look any different to everyone else outside these walls. You have fair skin and fair eyes."

"I like to think of them as 'vibrant green', but ok."

"Daniel... You don't know how lonely it is. You aren't always paranoid that someone is going take you into a back ally and beat you up because of the colour of your skin, because your foreign. I'm lucky enough to have grown up here and have your accent, but my poor father, he will never rise from the status of blacksmith. In fact I'm surprised that he got a position there."

"What happened, Gwen?" He said tentatively. "Did someone do that to you?"

"Yes." A singular tear ran down her face. "It's not new to me. Ever since I got my position as Morgana's personal handmaid, I have had abuse almost daily—mostly verbally."

"Is that why you didn't tell me?"

"Partly, yes."

"Well," Daniel said approaching her. He cupped her face in his hands and stared down into her eyes. "One day you are going to look down on everyone and revel at how far you have come. Who knows, perhaps you'll even become Queen."

Gwen chocked out a laugh. "Wouldn't that be nice, a foreign peasant girl ruling over Camelot."

"With Arthur at your side."

She slapped his chest playfully. "Oh I'd rather die. Kill me now."

They both laughed, and were too caught up in it that they didn't hear door opened and their father come in, already cloaked.

"Gwen," He smiled.

Daniel took his hands off her face and steppe away to face his father.

"Daniel and I are going out for a bit so you don't have to wait up, or make dinner. We'll probably go to a tavern so we'll eat there."

Daniel slipped on his cloak and pulled the hood up to shield him from the cold outside, at least that's what he hoped Gwen thought. He nodded to her as he passed her and exited the tiny house. His father followed and too pulled up his hood to cover his face.

"You found him?" Daniel asked.

"Someone who knows. But they have a price, that's why I need you."

"In what way? I can't fight for the life of me."

"Well they want gold, a lot of it, and I need you to help me to... You'll see. And I'll also need you to protect me physically, if things go south."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you once we get to the forgery."

"How are we going to get gold? All of us only earn enough to survive on. Well I suppose Gwen must get more."

"Don't be mad at your sister, she is under a lot of stress from her duties, and on top of Doran leaving, I'm sure she couldn't handle falling out with her other sibling."

"Well why didn't she tell me she was Morgana's maid? Does she think I'll use that as a way to get leverage on someone?'

"I'm sure she has reasons, or maybe she just hasn't seen you since she got the position."

"So now you're making me the bad person."

"I was doing nothing of the sort. Daniel we are doing this all for you. Don't ever think that we would do anything against you, or ever not love you."

"I'm sorry, he's had it instilled into me. I can't—can't stop expecting someone to betray me."

"We're your family, Daniel. We would never do anything against you."

"My father did."

"Your father was obviously a bad man. Don't let him win by you never trusting anyone ever again."

He smiled slightly. "Thank you. You will always be my true father."

"Don't forget that." He wrapped an arm around the young man.

"Wow, you're so good at making me feel good again. Your services are wasted as a blacksmith."

"I reserve my amazing powers for my family."

"Powers they are indeed."

They rounded the corner and found the forgery already open.

"Did you invite them in already." His brows furrowed.

"Yes." His father paused, then inhaled. "Whatever happens in there, please just... don't ask any questions. You are not who you are, you're just there as another keen associate of mine."

"Ok."

They walked through the doors with a reasonable distance between them, and then didn't bother to remove their hoods. Neither did the figure standing on the only source of light in the darkened room, their face still obscured by the shadow of their hood.

"So you want my help?" The figure said.

"Yes. I can help you do anything if you give me the information." His father said.

"Anything?" Amusement lay behind that word.

Daniel could tell the figure raised an eyebrow, even with their face still hidden. Something about the voice was bugging him. Like something in his subconscious was tugging at him to get away from it.

"Yes."

"There are two things I want." They approached them. "I need your steel, swords, axes and gold, and I want him." The figure pointed their finger towards Daniel.

The words were swept off him as he noticed the feminine hand. He was taken aback, what would a woman be doing here? How could they possibly help?

"What do you want with him?"

"You, blacksmith, supply me with steel, and this man, will be the weapon."

Daniel's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I would like to tell you that in private. Too many ears—" She cocked her head to his father "—and the whole thing could come crumbling down."

"If you want steel, I can't give you gold." His father said.

"Get a pot of lead and melt it." She commanded. "Now."

Daniel hissed at her, but his father complied, walking over to the other side of the forgery.

She stepped up to Daniel, leaving only a few inches between their two faces, and hissed up at him, "You're lucky I have a use for you, boy. If you didn't you'd be dead already."

"You would kill me? You're a woman."

She ripped back his hood and grabbed hold of his short, brown hair. "It makes no difference what sex I am. I will rip your throat out if you speak of any of this."

He straightened as he felt the dagger pushing at his stomach painfully.

"And what is it I am doing?"

"You work in the court, don't you?"

He gulped, confuse as to how she would know that, but answered, "Yes, only in the kitchens."

"Good, I require someone to be close to the king."

"What for?"

"Do you know how to fight?"

His eyes widened as he realised what she was implying. "You... Are you speaking treason?"

"Can you fight." She persisted.

"No."

"Well you'll need to learn."

"How; why?"

"You know why. You're a man who has easy access to the king, something which I don't have."

"I can't."

"You will if you want to find your father."

He snapped his hand around the wrist still holding his hair too tightly. "What do you mean."

"I'm not stupid. It's your biological father you seek. I know exactly where he is, but I'm not telling you until you do what I want."

"Commit treason."

"Yes. Uther's reign has been tyrannical and unjust. He has murdered thousands and has tricked the kingdom into thinking something so peaceful is only a thing of war and destruction. He's sewn the seeds into everyone's minds, and a web of lies has blossomed from it." She paused. "He took my sister. I only wish to show him what it has done to me and what he has done to my kind."

"Look, I don't agree with his purge on magic, but that doesn't mean that I'll kill him. I've never hurt a man in my life. Why must you use me?"

"It wouldn't really work if I got caught. I'm supposed to be dead, I don't want to become it."

"You want me to take the fall."

She cocked her head. "I'm sure you'll think of something if you get caught."

"And if I say that you told me to do it."

"You don't even know my name."

He ripped her hood off before she could register it. Then a knife was at his throat, but he didn't care as he took in her features. Blonde locks framed her face, pale skin, and those eyes... those pale, blue-grey eyes with a ring of brown around the iris he had seen all day, once filled with kindness, now glared at him. He was frozen to the spot, both by the knife at his throat, but those eyes. "Who," he rasped out. "Who did you say your sister was."

Her glare seemed to intensify. "I'd advise you to stop talking." She gritted through her teeth.

"I've just never seen eyes like that. Only once before. In the King's court."

His father came over to them, holding in tongs the melted steel.

The woman stepped away from him, removing the knife from his throat, and ordered his father to put it down on the bench top, pulling her hood back up. When he had done it she placed her hands over it and started to enchant. Both of the men stepped away from her, realising what she was.

Dread swept over Daniel.

If they were caught with her, the king would have their heads, but if he didn't do what she told him, she could probably do something much worse to him. Especially if she was so willing to use her magic in front of them both.

Her eyes flashed yellow and then she reached into the mould. Daniel didn't bother trying to warn her that it would be excruciatingly hot, but she simply up ended it, and out slid gold. Shining, beautiful, pure gold.

Both their eyes widened as the sorcerer turned to them. "This will be enough for now." She said as she picked it up. "I will find you later."

Daniel knew she was talking to him, even though her face was obscured completely.

"If you tell anyone," She walked up to him, and whispered into his ear. "I will gut you."

And then she was gone. A swish of her blue cape and she had disappeared through the doors.

His father looked quizzical at him. "What did she want you to do?"

"I... I don't think I can tell you. I can hardly believe it myself." But then he turned to his father accusingly. "You allied us with a sorcerer?!"

"Daniel, I didn't know. I didn't even know she was a _she_. I've taken a very long time to find someone with such good information, I didn't think to think about why she would know such things."

"This is a disaster. I need to get into the library. I need to..." He trailed off, his mind running too fast.

"What did she tell you to do."

"Learn to fight."

His father looked even more concerned and puzzled, "What does that mean?" He said, but Daniel was already running home. He had too many things going through his head. He couldn't face it, any of it.

Those eyes had made his day so much more cheerful, but now they haunted him.

Those stupid, beautiful, blue-grey eyes with a ring of brown.

 **AN: Hello anyone reading this! I've and this idea in my head for a very long time and have finally plucked up the courage to post it. Everything's mapped out already and I have big plans for this so you just wait and see.**


	2. The Archive

How had he gotten himself into this mess? His stupid father had been so blind in helping him find his father—his true father—that he hadn't noticed that he had he'd made a deal with a sorceress. And what she had asked him to do...

He opened his front door and stumbled into his house. He needed rest. Yes, and perhaps in the morning everything would go back to normal. A normal life where he wasn't threatened into killing his king; though his king did have it coming.

Daniel had never believed in the king's massacre of the sorcerers and fae. He had only ever seen magic as a thing of wonder, not a curse on the land. Not a weapon so vastly destructive that anyone who wielded it would tear the kingdom apart. He had only seen it once used before, and that had only been to _save_ his life. How could Uther see it as such a... a force for evil? How could something of such beauty make anyone who wields it evil?

He could understand why the woman's kind hated him now. Shunted and persecuted with something that only made them amazing. They were the only ones who had the right to feel as if they have been treated unfairly and seek retribution. And as far as he had ever known, they didn't choose to have it. It was passed down through the generations.

He hadn't even agreed with the persecution of the Fae. Their ancestors had kept and bred humans as slaves and killed them for sport, but the ones now were ones who had grown up knowing no such horrors, even with their long age. The treaty had been signed more than a millennia ago, after the humans had rose up against them with the help of their own kind and won. No Fae was allowed to capture and use a human for their own motives, to such an extent that they had closed themselves off from the humans.

Due to the centuries of captivity and the absolute male arrogance of the Fae, some of the slave-women were raped. They bore children of both races and were shunned from both races, but as they grew up and procreated, the Fae genes passed down diluted into only leaving few offspring with magical power. No fast healing or supernatural strength, but pure power. It varied from individuals but the descendants were now called sorcerers.

Because of their blood and heritage, they were always outcasts throughout their entire existence. Humans and sorcerers were finally coming to an agreement a few centuries ago which worked until Uther took the throne.

No one truly knew what made him go so drastically against the treaty, but in a few decades everyone had gone back to hating and fearing magic wielders.

And to top it all off, Uther condemned and Fae who stepped outside the fortress they all lived in on the lake. The great lake full of magical wild beast which obeyed the will of he Fae Queen and seeping with raw magic. He wasn't stupid enough to try and storm it, but get them alone and a flank of his men could take down a male. Females were harder, harder to come by and harder to kill. They had always been prized by the fae, child bearers of the very few younglings that could be brought into the world. They always had an ethereal beauty around them to trick the seer into trust or to let their guard down, but then when they attacked they a certain ferocity that would bring any man down in a few seconds. Daniel had only heard of stories where the males and gone to battle, but the accounts said that they fae did that because they were saving the good warriors to later.

Although he hated his King for all the bloodshed, Daniel couldn't bring himself to ever consider killing him. Especially if it meant replacing him with Arthur.

Sure Arthur could protect his kingdom with his sword, but he was too young and inexperienced. Not only that, he was an arrogant prick in the ways that his father wasn't. Rude, snobbish, and a vast misunderstanding of how the world works, and how much the people working in it have to do to live.

Merlin was a prime example. He was worked so hard that Daniel barely saw without an intent look on his face and hurrying around the castle. Yet, he knew, Arthur didn't see his sluggish behaviour as the months went on because or the amount of pressure he was under, he only thought it was merlin had been at the tavern the night before.

Merlin had always helped Gaius—the court physician and his father—with his work, bending the wounded or healing the ill. His eyes were always filled with optimism and joy, as he helped the sick. But only a few months ago Gaius had told him that his destiny was to be found as he grew into himself and started looking for his own occupation; perhaps find work at his father's blacksmith or become a merchant. Only a week into his newly found search for his new life he had saved the Prince and was anointed as the Prince's manservant.

Daniel has no idea how Merlin had done everything expected of him. It was as if he had magic.

Merlin seemed to wear a mask of happiness, and there always seemed to be an air of joy around him. He wore his mask so well that Daniel wouldn't have noticed it until he had seen him when he thought no one was watching—doing one of his chores—and saw that mask drop, saw the sad, lonely face. Saw it and recognised it as someone stuck in a position which made them unhappy. And he didn't know what it was, but Merlin also had a sense of someone who was meant to be so much more, more than a servant, more than a peasant. And sometimes, he wondered if Merlin knew that. Perhaps that's why he looked so lost and lonely when he believed no one was looking.

Daniel walked over to his wardrobe and stripped off his clothes as fast as he could, nearly falling over a stool in his hast, and no light besides the slight light peering through a curtained window.

He had been lucky, this house—though still quite small—was big for the town, perhaps the biggest. He had got it at an extraordinary low price. Though, there were reasons for that. The previous owner had died mysteriously in the house a mere week before it was put up for sale. Though Daniel didn't particularly mind that, the other reason had always stopped him from inviting people to his, especially at night. His house shared walls with the brothel next door, and the walls were too thin, it was too easy to hear what was happening next door. His own family even hadn't visited his.

If he was lucky—though very unlikely—Daniel could get home early and occasionally drift off to sleep before the _sounds_ started. Tonight, however, he was very, very unlucky.

He shucked off his boots and sat on his bed, hearing it groan underneath his weight. He cringed at the sound. He needed a new bed, but didn't have enough money, so he was in constant danger of it collapsing if he moved wrongly. He supposed it was a good thing that he didn't get enough food occasionally, and that he certainly didn't have any muscle, so the weight of him on the bed was very light.

He shimmied underneath the blanket, and as soon as his head hit the hard pillow he fell asleep.

He had a fitful sleep. Not because of the noises emanating from next door which would occasionally get so loud they would wake him, but of the dreams that chased him from it. Even in his sleep he couldn't escape those eyes. Those eyes that had condemned him.

Daniel truly had no idea what to do. He couldn't even bare to seek out his father the next day. When he woke up, he simply got ready for work and left before he could consider not going, consider staying locked up in his house. As always the cook was already shouting at some poor girl for over boiling the eggs when he arrived, and started laying into his work.

He was helping with the plating up of the meats and bread and eggs when he saw Merlin dashing into the kitchen, searching for the Prince's plate, and almost sent a poor girl flying as he narrowly missed her.

"Oi, Manservant." Daniel called. That was what Daniel decided his name was because he knew how much Merlin didn't like it.

Merlin scowled at him before striding over to him, his usual attire of brown jacket, blue shirt, and red neckerchief always an easy way to spot him. Daniel had seen him once without it and he felt as though he was seeing him naked.

Daniel almost started as he saw the blue eyes, but realised the weren't the woman's, they were of a different shade, piercing blue. Though the black hair reminded him too much of the eyes that shared the same colour as that woman.

Daniel past him the plate he had just loaded and said under his breath, "I needs to talk to you."

Merlin looked at him, concern painted his features. "What is it?"

"I can't tell you here. Just whenever you are free, let me speak to you."

His brows furrowed. "Are you ok?"

"Just promise to meet me."

He gave a curt nod. "Come to my chambers after your finished for the day. If I'm not there, Gaius will take care of you."

"Thank you." He clasped his friends arm, then lowered his voice as he said, "I need to ask another favour of you. I'm sorry, but I really need it."

Merlin's gaze became more wary, but he said, "Go on?"

* * *

Once he was freed for a few hours, Daniel hurried to the library. He had been lucky his father had been required to learn how to read and had made sure his children could. It was a rare and treasured gift amongst the poor. To some lengths, before he had learned to write, he saw it as basic, people could look at simple symbols—or silly squiggles, he used to think of them—on a piece of parchment, and it either mean something. And even more magical, some people could read the words on the parchment and speak the words at the same time. Daniel had never been able to get his reading that good. If ever he tried there would be long silences between each word.

He often tried to better himself everyday at it, so he would do to the library about once a week and get out a new book, no matter what it was, but today... Today he _was_ looking for something.

He barely said hello to the mage who took care of all the books and headed for the family scrolls of all the druids or sorcerers killed by the kingdom. They were meant to be off limits, but the mage barely looked up as he entered, didn't bother see where Daniel went as he was always here.

Daniel went to the back of the library, to the archives and slipped the key from his pocket, the one he had asked Merlin to get from the Prince. He unlocked the door and slipped in, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. The room was almost pitch black, as it had no windows; the documents in here were too valuable to have it have more than one way to enter. He lit a candle of the wall and took it off is bracket, making sure as to not let the flame go anywhere near the scrolls.

The room was no larger than his house, yet it held the most precious knowledge in the kingdom.

He scanned every wall, taking in every detail, from the dust riddled scrolls to the occasional crisp pages of books. And then he saw things that absolutely no sense. There were symbols—runes—that, that couldn't have been here. He had seen them once before, all over the druid who had saved him's body.

There were three semicircles interlaced to create a triangular shape, and three spirals joined in the middle, a tree, and a four legged creature with great wings on its back, and—what he could only describe as—fire leaking out of its mouth. He had seen the symbols before in books warning men how the Fae or sorcerers had used the symbols as ways to make their stronger. And the great creature...

Although Daniel had never seen one before, he had read depictions of monsters that used to roam the earth, and this one fitted the description of a mighty dragon. They had once been used by the fae in battle or as a measure of transport. Although it was impossible for anyone to tame a wild dragon after its maturity, it being to sing and powerful even for the fae, the ones ridden by the fae were raised from their hatching.

But these books... They were almost _all_ about magic. Everyone had been told that anything related to magic had been burned in the great fire—the kings had had fires all over the kingdom burning continuously for a week, for anyone who might find additional magic stuff to throw it in.

Daniel set down his candle and picked up a big leather-bound book with a dragon on it, hunkered down to the candle and crossed his feet underneath him. He carefully eased the book open and marvelled at the beautiful writing scribed in it. It was beautiful and yet foreign. All of the runes were old, something he'd never seen before. They seemed to have been lost over time.

He scoured through the book, trying to understand any of the words, and marveling at the beautiful drawings of creatures. It appeared to be a book all about the creatures—something that Gaius would have.

Daniel closed the book and returned it to its shelf, remembering why he was here. He scanned the shelves again, though he had no idea what he was looking for, probably something that didn't have a magical symbol in it.

He found another leather-bound book, this time with no symbols on it and a piece of leather tied around two buttons to keep it shut. Daniel sat down in the candle light and unwound the strap.

On the first page he read: List of the Dead. Although he hated himself for it, this was what he was looking for.

On the next page he found it sectioned off into four parts. Each section was labeled the same four words on each page: Name, Description, Date, Method of Death. And underneath was a list.

He read the first one and his heart broke.

 _Name: Edith Noles_  
 _Description: Female, brown hair and eyes, short, large nose, scaring on left hand. 15. Druid._  
Date: 9th of Samonios 507ad  
 _Death: Burnt at stake._

One name, _one and_ he had already lost it.

The injustice performed in these people.

He skimmed down the page and counted about thirty, THIRTY names on each page, and he knew the book was heavy enough to know there were an inexcusable asking if people written in here.

He forced himself to look at the description of people, trying to ignore the the ways they had died. But try as he might he didn't find what he was looking for.

* * *

Half an hour later he pulled himself from the room, careful to place everything back exactly where it was, and locked the door behind him. If he stayed any longer the mage might find him. He pocketed the key and hurried out of the library, not even acknowledging the mage as he passed him.

The only thing he had accomplished was only finding more and more reason too agree with the woman. He had only planned on getting to find who she might be—seeing as she says she was meant to be dead, he thought this would be the easiest way to find her—but now he only had a fury in him that he'd never felt before. So hot that it was cold, icy.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he, somehow managed to run into the Lady—again. He cursed inwardly.

"You don't even have a pile of clothing," Morgana mused. "What's your excuse this time, Danny Boy?"

He cringed at the name. "I um," he stammered, "I was—"

"Don't worry. Do that to the King or Princess Martha—" obviously a name Morgana had made in spite of Arthur "—and they'd have you flogged." A playful smile spread on her lips.

Daniel couldn't make himself look at her, look at her eyes.

"The arrogant pigs." She added.

He started as he felt her arm wrap around his elbow, to the point that he actually flinched. He didn't know what made him jump more, the fact that she was a Lady, or her eyes.

"It's ok," She started walking, pulling him asking with her. "You can just marvel at everyone else as they bow to you."

Her words were so playful, and yet...

"I didn't know peasants like you could read." She said as she snatched the book out of his hand—one he had absentmindedly picked off the shelf so that he didn't look too suspicious. "No offense, of course." She said while studying the cover.

Her perkiness seemed so at odds at what he associated with those eyes.

"My father was lucky enough to be taught, so he passed it down to my siblings and myself."

"He sounds lovely. You know,"she studied the book. "I wouldn't take you for the romantic type."

He snatched the book back and practically glowered at the book. The title Over Two Strange Worlds, and the image on the front made him almost retch at the idea of reading it.

"So why do you look so wary today?"

He didn't respond.

"Come on, what did you get Merlin to steal from Arthur's for you?"

He met her stare, horror almost constricting his features, but he schooled them into neutrality. "I'm not sure I know what you mean, my lady."

"Oh come on. You men always think you can easily lie to me, but I'm good at distinguishing emotions. Plus Merlin tells me everything. I can be quite... vicious if I don't get the truth." She winked. "I have him wrapped right around my finger. So, out with it."

"I assure you—"

"I'm guessing it's something to do with the library. So what's in the library that you can steal from Arthur...?" He saw her mind tick. "You don't actually like romance books, do you."

He opened his mouth and then closed it, fearful the wrong words would come out.

She fastened her pace. "You—" She cut herself off.

"Where are your taking me?"

"My chambers. There's surprisingly less chance we'll be overheard there than in an open corridor."

* * *

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I-I" He stuttered. "I'm just trying to find my father, and I thought I might get closer if I looked in the archives." A little bit of truth and lie, the best kind.

She stopped her pacing. "Are—do you think you're a druid? Do you have magic?" Her eyes softened.

"I don't think so, at least I've shown no sign of my supposed lineage."

"What were you expecting to find in the archives?"

He opened his mouth and then closed it again. He had to think of a lie, he couldn't tell her, she was the King's Ward. "I was hoping to see if maybe—"

He was spared the mercy of having to finish the sentence as his sister walked in, a puzzled expression on her face. "My lady, are you ok? Do you wish me to escort my brother out of your chambers?" Gwen gave a pointed glance at him.

Morgana turned to face her, a little annoyed at the interruption. "Gwen, since when did you have such a nice brother? He was helping me carry some books back from the library. No need to kick him out on his ass."

Daniel coughed a laugh. The words that came out of that women's mouth.  
Gwen eyed him suspiciously. "So he's not bothering you in any way?"

"Helping me, Gwen."

"Of course my lady." She curtsied. "May I be of any other assistance?"

"Everything's fine. Thank you."

"Daniel, shouldn't you be helping with lunch?" Gwen eventually said.

"Shi—" He cut himself off, if not because of the look Gwen was giving him.

Morgana sniggered, _sniggered._ The King's Ward was anything but what he had expected.

He ran out the door, glad of an excuse to get out of that too small room.

 **AN: Hello anyone reading this! I've and this idea in my head for a very long time and have finally plucked up the courage to post it. Everything's mapped out already and I have big plans for this so you just wait and see. It get's increasingly dark, and I might need to change the rating, but for now it's light and happy...ish. Comments are appreciated, but you do what you want.**


	3. Brona

Hands grabbed his jacket at pulled him into an alcove. He had been on his way to Merlin's, after his rather tiring day of chores, and the misfortune of worrying all day.

"What the hell were you doing on Morgana's chambers?!"

Gwen. It was Gwen who had attacked him and now stood so close to his face in the tight space that their breaths mingled.

"What the hell?!"

Gwen punched him in the arm, eliciting a grunt from him. "Daniel tell me."

He sighed. "I was helping her with carrying some library books."

"Oh don't think I believe that lie for a second. Where the hell are the books now? I went through her room and found none."

"Ahh. Gwen, it's something I can't tell you."

"You better not have tried to make a move on her."

"What?! No. I'm not that stupid."

"I find you two inches apart in her chambers and then you lie to me about why you were there, anyone would think that. Imagine if the King heard of it."

"So filled with optimism, Guinevere."

"Well tell me why you were there."

"I... That's the thing I can't tell you."

"Well you better try."

There was a harshness in those words that Daniel knew better than to argue. "I... I ran into her when I was leaving the library and we got chatting and somehow she realised why I was at the library and took me to her chambers so that we weren't overheard." The words poured out of his mouth.

"And what, pray tell, brother, were you doing in the library?"

"I was in the archives."

"What?" She blurted out. "Daniel, what in the name of the goddess compelled you to go in there?"

"That's the bit that I can't tell you."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Please believe me when I say I can't tell you."

"Why. Have you been told to do something stupid by Heilyn or Gavin?"

"No... Gwen, this is serious. I-" He sighed through his nose. "Gwen, it's as bad as Brona."

Daniel said the name of their mother, their mother who had passed away a few years after they had taken him in. Daniel, Gwen and Doran had made a pact after her death to never-no matter what might have happened-question each other. Brona had become quickly ill one day after a day out at the market with Daniel. Brona was prone to illness, her body not use to the colder climate of this new land, and was often seen to by Gaius. Doran had on their arrival back home noticed his mother was unwell and rushed to get Gaius, but the time he had returned Brona was fading away. Gaius had told them there was nothing tot do but that he didn't think it was illness that had taken their mother away, but poison. Gethin-their father-in all his grief had turned that grief into fury and rage, and came to the opinion that because Daniel had been with her all day was the only one that had the opportunity to poison her. Doran and Gwen had protested and said that he would never harm their mother, but as Gethin started to say things like "He has grown tired of being in a family with different coloured skin." "He doesn't actually know what family is" and "He was always an outsider in this family" Gwen and Doran started to believe their father's mad words.

Gethin was going to kill Daniel in his grief after he had thought that he had killed his wife, but just before the blacksmith could acquire run him through with a sword he had freshly made, Merlin had come to his rescue and told him that Brona had died from a poisonous berry she had eaten that was being sold at the market. The berry normally just made the eater very sick, but because she was so prone to anything the berry had a worse reaction.

Gwen and Doran had apologised immediately and swore that they wouldn't let anything like this happen again. Daniel had taken a while to trust any of them again, and had had to stay with Merlin and Gaius while he found his feet again. For over a year he could't look at Gethin without see the murderous rage in his eyes.

"Oh, that serious then?"

"You know I would never keep anything from you, but it is for your own safety."

She released her grip on him. "Daniel... just promise me you'll be alright."

He looked at her once before leaving her there. He couldn't promise her and he hated himself for it, hated his father.

* * *

"What do you want?" Merlin said as he opened the door.

"I need to ask you a question, you or Gaius. And your help."

"Yeah, what is it?" He beckoned Daniel inside.

Daniel cautiously stepped into the house, seeing Merlin's father Gaius standing over a potion. "You know I don't ask much, and it's only because I really need to know, but..." He faced Gaius' now settled form. "Have you been in contact with any druids recently?"

Gaius placed down his crusher and eyed him warily. "Are you asking from the King, my boy?"

"No!" He blurted. "I am in dire circumstances and I only seek aid from you. I need knowledge about a person. I've tried in the archives, but it was to no avail. Please sir, if word of this got to the King, he would have my head."

Gaius walked over. "What is it you wish to know?"

"It's because of my father. My father sought help from a stranger to find my real one and... he didn't realise they were a sorcerer until it was too late. She-I have no clue who she is, and I just need to know who she is because..." He let out a breath. "She had the same eyes as Lady Morgana."

Merlin's eyebrows furrowed, yet Gaius placed a reassuring hand on Daniel's shoulder.

"She says she was supposed dead." He continued. "I thought, if she was a sorcerer and supposed to be dead, then she would be known and perhaps you had heard of her in your time with..." He didn't finish the sentence.

"How old would you say she is?"

"Um..." He racked his brains. "I only saw her for a few moments and she was very discrete about her appearance. I'd say early twenties."

Gaius looked to Merlin and said, "You might want to sit down." Who only crossed his arms.

"The woman you met, I can only think of one person who she might be. I helped her escape the claws of the kingdom when she was a child and gave her to the High Priestesses. She the eldest child of Vivienne, and as subsequence... Morgana's half sister."

Merlin went deathly pale.

Daniel was slightly less shocked with having the words running through him for a day already. "W-why did you take her to the priestesses?"

"Because I knew the child would find a home there, and Vivienne... she was my friend."

"Thank you." Daniel said sincerely.

Merlin looked to his father shock and disbelief riddled his features. He opened his mouth but Daniel said before Merlin could ask any questions, "I need to talk to you. Privately."

He seemed to snap from his haze and said _of course_ before leaving Daniel into his room.

Daniel heard the door click shut before he heard Merlin talk. "Why are you asking these questions? I get that you're trying to find your father, but you don't need to know if she is going to take everything away. What was her price?"

Daniel almost let out a cry. He wanted to crumple into a ball and weep for days, because this was real, and there was no way around it.

When the head cook had ordered him to get some more supplies, he had ventured down into the town and he had been about to head back with his supplies when he had spotted a set of blue eyes staring at him, observing.

He had never run so fast back to the castle, because he saw no black hair or fine dress, only a hood and gnarled leather gloves.

He realised he was shaking and put his hands out of sight. "She has threatened my to do something I could never do."

Merlin came over to him as a sob escaped Daniel's lips, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"She wants me to kill the king."

Merlin's grip tightened.

"I've never hurt a person in my life, and yet she wants me to commit treason!" Daniel stared endearing into his friends amazing sapphire blue eyes.

"What is her threat? Is it blackmail or an actual threat."

"She knows my face, Merlin. She knows what I do. In the market, I saw her out if the corner of my eyes, watching me as I got some supplies for the cook. She... I'm scared Merlin. She's threatened my life and I wouldn't put it past a sorcerer like her to kill Gwen and my father."

"Do you know how you are to kill the King?" Merlin inquired.

"No." He sobbed out. "For all I know she'll just give me a dagger and point me in the right direction. She'll only tell me my father's whereabouts after he is dead, and if I get caught that's my fault. She wants me to take the blame for whatever she makes me do."

"Daniel... what do you want me to do? Do you want me to tell Arthur, or get the guards to re-enforce their ranks?"

"No!" He blurted out. "I shouldn't even be telling you now, but your the only one I trust enough."

"Then what?"

"I... I don't know." He said distantly. Daniel realised that he was only putting his friend in danger the more he talked. "I-I'm sorry for disturbing you. I'll leave you in peace."

"Daniel," Merlin said, still keeping his hand on Daniel's arm. "Tell me what I can do to help."

Daniel swept Melin's hand off his arm and moved towards his door.

"Trust me," Merlin said quietly, and Daniel stopped. "If she so much as scratches you, I'll bring the heavens down upon her."

"Don't say things you can't promise." He said softly over his shoulder, then grabbed the door handle.

"It's not a promise, it's a vow."

Daniel only just held in a sob. He straightened and tried to keep his voice level. "If I don't see you, have a good life, Merlin." Daniel stepped out of the room.

 **AN: Bit a short one but I've been working on later chapters. Just a side note: the characters aren't meant to be exactly like the ones in the show, I've just used them as a basis and then I've added or taken away certain aspects.**


	4. Fire Night

He had heard nothing from the woman in over four months. Not one sign of his impending doom. But to Daniel's horror, just as he had finished collecting the days produce and was ready to cart it back to the kitchens, an old haggard woman hobbled up next to him. He would have thought nothing of it and simply moved on but as he glimpsed the woman staring at him with blue-grey eyes he faltered, then tried to act as if he didn't see her and turned back to his cart. The woman didn't take his bluff and grabbed his arm before he could move—the store merchant not noticing, already busy with another customer.

Then a voice which matched the frail, withered body said, "Tonight at midnight you are too meet me at your fathers forge, and if you do as I say, you will have your father by the end of the week."

"I... I can't do it."

"You will." She snapped.

"I know who you are." He shouldn't say that, not here, but in public she might think twice before gutting him. But then Daniel realised, although Gaius had told him who the woman was, he still didn't know what her name was.

"And who would that be?" She but out, almost to Daniel's shock, she didn't hit him as he expected, but then he supposed that that would ruin her guise.

"The daughter of Vivienne." Daniel didn't let himself say sister to Morgana, in case she didn't know and to keep Morgana safe.

"And do you wish to turn me in? Tell your king that in plotting to overthrow him and his tyrannical court? Do that, and I'll drag you _and_ your father down with me."

"Please..." Daniel started but then faded away as he saw perhaps the most terrifying sight he had ever seen, Arthur and his patrol were making their rounds at the top of the street. "I'll do anything," he hurried. "Anything but that."

"But I don't want anything else, so what would be the point of that?"

"Please."

"I'll be expecting you." She said then hobbled off.

Daniel took in a few heavy breaths and was about to leave—the opposite direction to her, though it would take an extra five minutes—when a hand clasped on his shoulder and he darted away from it, almost shrieking. He spun around to see its owner to only freak out even more—internally—as he saw the prince of Camelot looking at him concernedly.

"Are you ok?" The Prince said.

"Your highness." Daniel said and bowed. "Yes..." Daniel tried to gather himself. "I was just collecting food for the kitchens,and with Beltane coming up I guess I'm just a little stressed."

"Having to do two jobs at once must be very stressful. It's Daniel isn't it."

Daniel nodded cautiously.

"Merlin might think me an arrogant fool, but I can see what's under my nose... And Morgana might have scolded me for it. But I just want to say I'm sorry that you have to help out."

"You should be apologising to Merlin, not me." Daniel knew he shouldn't say that, but he had to get back to the kitchen so he picked up his cart and started moving towards the castle.

"And I already have," Arthur said trailing him. "But I've thought of an idea, can I get you a pay rise, for all the extra work you do."

"You're too kind, sire. I could never—"

"Then it is settled. But... Is there something that is bothering you. Merlin's normally cheery and talking too much, but he's quiet, and I'm thinking it's probably connected to you."

"Like I said, it's all the preparations for Beltane."

"You sound like Merlin."

"Well I'm sure he's stressed about it too."

"I always thought you were a joyful man, easy to make jokes with, at least that's the impression I got from Merlin."

"I usually am, sire. Just not today, just not at this very minute."

"Well I'll tell you what, if I can get a genuine smile from you, I'll leave you alone, seeing as that's what you blatantly want me to do."

"I meant no offence sire, it's just—"

"You're busy with preparations for Beltane?"

"Yes."

"Thought so."

"Sire—"

"Arthur, please."

"Arthur, why are you talking to me in the first place. Merlin's opinions of you aren't of someone who would just do this spontaneously."

"Well Merlin's opinion is misconstrued. I like talking to the commoners. They share a different side of life in Camelot, and they provid me with information that can help me shape the kingdom better."

"That's... quite good of you. I thought you were just here for your rounds and occasional tax collections. When I said Merlin had low opinions of you, I didn't mean that. He has high ones, but he still thinks you're a prat."

"Just because I get him to do his job once in a while?"

"That's the kind of thing that makes him think you're a prat."

"Fair enough, he does do it slightly more than I think." The Prince smiled at Daniel, and Daniel tried to smile back, but it was more of a grimace than anything.

Arthur was about to ask another question, his mouth opening, but before any noise came out he was knocked over by a scrawny, his men in pursuit.

One of them shouted _theif_ after him, and Arthur was sprinting after him already.

Daniel didn't bother himself with it, already nearly late, and pushed the cart faster in the opposite direction.

* * *

Three days later

Beltane

"Shit!" He exclaimed. "Oh bloody... Are you ok?" Daniel called down the stairs.

A groan escaped the man.

Daniel ran down to him, cursing himself. Yes he needed to get the man's position for the night, but pushing him down the stairs wasn't the only option.

He clasped the golden amulet slung around his neck and prayed to the triple-headed goddess—something he thought he would never do, the gods having been outlawed by the king. Prayed for the mans forgiveness, prayed that the plan would work, and prayed for their forgiveness.

* * *

Morgana looked out over the crowd of people. The women's fine dresses flourishing around them as they twirled and glided around the grassed dance floor, intertwining between the bonfires and maypoles erected. They wore no shoes and their fine yellow or pink dresses resembled the blossoming flowers all around them and of which they now celebrated.

She marvelled at the intricate dances and positions they made sure they were in at any given moment. She wished she could dance in such a wonderful and almost seemingly careless way. It seemed as if when they danced they could get away from what they were doing and just enjoy the movement. Just like when she listened to the music being played now. It could sweep her off her feet and take her to a whole new world.

There was an air about the festivites that everyone was at ease and happy, also giddy with the amount of wine they had drunk. Everything was serene and even the party goers had not dressed finely, only in something beautiful but comfortable—nothing elaborate.

She saw Arthur as her gaze swept over the far end of the grassy festivities. Beside him stood his loyal servant, refilling his goblet for the fourth time tonight. She gave him a long look, dragging her gaze over Arthur and brought a finger up to her mouth—if not to stop the laughter from escaping—as their eyes met and he raised his eyebrows almost in shock, but the twinkle in his eye said _later._ The pig. The arrogant, self centered, womanising pig with his stupid ears. But those eyes...

She shook the thought from her head. He was like a brother to her and if Uther found them together like that she probably would pay for it in the dungeons. She was supposed to keep herself intact for who ever she was to be married to—though it was far too late for that. Never mind her conscience. Of course Arthur wouldn't, not his heir, not his son, not a man. No, she'd be thrown into the pile of whores and seductress.

She found herself walking towards the table of food and poured herself another goblet of wine. She had relieved Gwen of her duties to enjoy the festivities a few hours ago and she was pleased to see the maid happily chatting and watching the dancing. And Morgana absolutely adored the looks Gwen was giving Arthur's servant. They had spent the better half of a decade together and Morgana could see the way her friend's eyes seemed to sparkle as they met the boy's. She was happy for them.

Morgana knew that they had grown up together quite closely—even if the reasons were quite dull. Gaius had been treating Gwen's mother for years with a number of illnesses and would take Merlin with him so that the boy might learn from it. Merlin had never shown interest in learning about how to become a physician like his father, but never rejected being taught in the field.

She smiled to the girl that came up next to her and poured herself some wine, but she just shied away. "I'm not that scary, am I?" Morgana mused.

The girl merely gave her a timid smile back.

"I _am_ that scary?" She said a little indignantly.

"No, my lady." The girl finally said. Her accent was from another kingdom, though Morgana couldn't put her finger on it.

"Why are you trying to avoid talking to me then?"

"I mean to cause to offence."

"You didn't. I just wondered if because I was Uther's ward then all people would see me as one of his."

"No, my lady. People just don't normally talk to me, is all."

Morgana's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?" She studied the strawberry-haired girl. Although she was averting her eyes from Morgana, she could tell that the girl was trying to study her in turn. Morgana glimpsed the sapphire eyes for a moment and for a second thought that they could have been stolen from Merlin they looked so familiar, but then shook the notion away. The girl—perhaps a little younger than her, no more than a year, so about nineteen—had the most stunning features she had ever seen. Dazzling sapphire eyes, a small nose that complemented the rest of her face, full lips painted a slight red, and pale skin that could rival Morgana's. Her face was round but her defined cheekbones made it look less so. Freckles littered her cheeks and was the only thing that made her skin not look as white as the clouds in the sky. Her strawberry hair was half up half down, with the half up sweeping over her ears, concealing them from sight. Her dress—though simple in its design—was extravagant; bright yellow and pink which clung to her body in places but then ballooned out in others, and had a low cut around her chest which exposed and pushed up her already sizeable breasts.

"People just ignore me is all. I tend to try not to attract attention." The girl eventually said.

"And why do you do that?"

"People normally just use me then leave me. I guess I prefer it that way, my lady."

"And I assume you don't want to talk to me now."

"You is attracting too much attention with you being you. People's gazes just normally slip over me as if I were never 'ere."

"And why's that? You are quite... radiating."

"Thank you my lady. But people for bad reasons look at me. So now I prefer not to go unnoticed."

"To what extent? Surely coming to festivities like this would defeat the purpose."

"My madam made me come."

"Your madam?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Oh stop calling me 'my lady', Morgana will do."

"Of course, my—Morgana."

Morgana smiled at her, which was this time was returned. The dazzling white, perfect teeth of the other almost shocking her, girls of her status normally didn't have the best of smiles.

"So are you enjoying the festivities?" Morgana asked.

"Well I was until someone noticed me."

"Sorry about that."

The girl almost grimaced.

"You're not from round here, are you."

"No." She said quietly. "I was brought up in Escetir, until I was six."

"I thought I recognised the accent. How come you moved here then?" She said as she took a sip of the wine.

"My father convicted my mother of adultery and threw us out on pain of death if we returned."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Morgana regretted asking. "So how's life here?"

"Horrible." She said blandly.

"Well you seem very certain on that."

"Unlike you, my lady, I don't have the luxury of enjoying my life."

Morgana's eyebrows furrowed, not because she was hurt by the words, but because of how the girl truly meant them. "What do you mean?"

"Sometimes I wonder what the point of living is."

Morgana placed a hand on the girls shoulder. "To kill yourself is a a sin."

"A sin for the gods I don't believe in. I'll be fine."

"You don't believe in the gods?"

"I did once. But once I realised that no matter what god I prayed to, none would answer, I gave up."

"Well if anything its selfish of you to kill yourself. Think of your friends who will have to grieve over you."

"Well then it's a good thing I don't have any then."

"You don't have any friends?"

"No."

"Well what about your mother?"

"She died on the way into the kingdom. Uther's knights thought she was a sorcerer."

"I'm sorry." Megan's says quietly, not letting the rage for her king tagged over her thoughts, but while she was at the festivities.

"It's ok. I was eight then, I've gotten over it."

"I know how it is to lose a parent; it's not easy to get over at all. My father died after Uther sent him off to a battle that was destined to lose. Uther ad promised that he would send more troops, but they were called off to massacre some rebel sorcerers. My mother and I soon moved into the castle here where Uther promised refuge, but then my mother soon died later after her grief consumed her." Morgana looked down at her feet. "Some say she went mad in her final months." She looked back into the girl's amazingly familiar eyes. "But now I've made it my duty to help those less fortunate than me. So, how can I help?" Morgana said sincerely.

"My Lady, I'm not sure you can help me. You shouldn't even be talking to me."

"Everyone keeps on telling me that, that they shouldn't be talking to me. You may think that I have a lot of friends, but that's because I'm supposed to. I'm not allowed to have the friends I do. Being me is quite lonely too. Please, just let me help you."

"I can't allow you to do that my lady. I'm already a lost cause."

"Well at least tell me your name."

"It's Sebille."

Morgana had never heard such a beautiful name. "Well Sebille, it's nice to meet you."

"And you, my lady." She bowed her head and curtsied.

Morgana saw the detachment of the movement to the girl's actual feelings. And then as Morgana got a clear look into the girl's eyes she saw the hollowness of them. In a sense they were almost the mirror image of Merlin's. The boy—she knew—was a good liar, but his eyes sometimes would betray him, in moments of quiet his eyes would reveal his emptiness and loneliness. Something in the eyes shouted that he was not meant to be stuck as Arthur's manservant, he was destined to be so much more, but his destiny had been haltered or changed.

"Just one more thing," Morgana said as Sebille turned to go. Sadness filled her eyes as she asked, "How long have you been working for Madam Jeanette?"

Sebille only looked down at the grass beside her and said over her shoulder, "She found me when I was nine and had been training me for bed until I was fifteen. I've been paying off my debts ever since."

"I'm sorry." Morgana said quietly.

"It's not your fault." Then Sebille was gone, the broken girl was gone and replaced with a confident, seducing woman seeking out her potential clients.

Morgana pitied the girl.

No, not pity, that felt too much like she was demeaning the girl. She was sad.

Morgana knew there were many girls who worked for madam Jeanette and in the profession, but she had never met one and felt pity for them. She had always looked down on the girls and decided that they didn't matter, that they chose to sell their bodies for money, but Sebille had been so lost and hopeless.

* * *

He refilled the goblet for the what he couldn't even be bothered to remember time. The Prince's tipsy state was becoming ever so tedious and unbearable. He seemed unable to keep his eyes off the women who all walked passed. Merlin had at least got the Prince to sit in his chair. Now he wasn't always having to pay attention to whether Arthur was going to stay up right or not.

Though Merlin was content to stand by the Prince's side and refill his goblet at an almost alarming rate, though Merlin didn't care, the Prince could be easier to handle, but the one thing that bugged him was the way Arthur's gaze would follow Morgana around the area.

Morgana had looked at him occasionally, returning the flirtatious glances, but she had once been approached by a woman and something behind her eyes seemed to have faded. The life, or something like that, had gone.

Merlin had nothing against what they might do behind locked doors, sex was not a mystery to him, but it was with such hunger that the Prince looked at Morgana, as if he only saw the body beneath the dress, not Morgana. Merlin had never allowed his lust to cloud his decisions, even when he was drunk.

He had only been with Gwen. Kind, caring, generous Gwen. He truly loved Gwen, she was too kind for the world, but perhaps not in the way that he once thought he had. Though their relationship had been miraculously kept from all the prying ears of the busybodies of the servants always eager for gossip—something of which he was very grateful.

Merlin cast a wary gaze over to Daniel, now hurrying back to the King with his plate of freshly restocked food. The King's usual man servant had tripped and fell down the stairs mere hours before the festivities to everyone's horror, but Daniel had offered to take his place and for some strange reason the King had complied. Merlin supposed the King didn't care who took care of him for one night, just as long as there was someone.

Merlin knew too well why Daniel had volunteered, but he also knew the idiot too well as well, Daniel couldn't hurt a fly, though Merlin was cautious, he didn't want his friend in any trouble.

* * *

 _You're doing the right thing, you're doing the right thing, you're doing the right thing._

That sentence kept on repeating itself through his head over and over until it was the only thing that could keep him going. If he could trick his brain into believing that then perhaps it would become true, he wouldn't regret it, he wouldn't falter when it was time.

But everytime he felt it—grazed his hand over it, bumped it against something—his heart raced a thousand miles and he almost spoke aloud those words.

Becoming the King's manservant for the night was as easy as the woman had said. The amulet around his neck, hidden beneath his shirt, had worked just as she said, it would make the King open to his suggestions.

Daniel couldn't allow himself to use it more than that once, the magic alone from the amulet scared him to pieces, so he had let the King boss him around the entire night, taking scoldings if he didn't do something right or directly on time, though the King never asked for a replacement.

To Daniel's relief the festivities were still going in full force when the King finally decided to retire to his chambers. A smile still on his face as he got up and told Daniel to get him one last goblet of wine before walking back to the castle through the forest they were in, Daniel trailing with his goblet and two pieces of cake he had snuck from the tables in hand.

He offered half to each of the guards who looked as if they would refuse, looking at him as if to say _they were on duty._

"Come on, it's just cake." Daniel said. "What's cake going to do?"

One of them shrugged and took the half, followed by the other.

Daniel allowed himself to bite into his, the delicious taste one of the best things he had ever tasted.

Daniel had helped the King not lose his footing a number of times as they walked back, as such he had resorted to simply holding the King's arm around his shoulders.

By the time they reached his chambers he was almost in need of dragging. The guards didn't seem to be fairing well either. Their steps becoming slower. Good, the sedative in the cake was working.

But he couldn't do it.

As Daniel saw the door to the King's chambers he faltered. He knew once he got through those doors it would be his death sentence, either way, from the King or the sorcerer.


	5. Locked Up

"I can't." Daniel let go of the dagger hovering over the King's heart. Tears streaked down his face.

"Guards!" The king shouted over his shoulder.

Daniel crumpled, sobbing uncontrollably into his hands.

The dagger skittered across the ground and was stopped as a newly awoken guard stepped on it.

Daniel vaguely registered the rough grip of a guard hauling him to his feet. Vaguely noticed the king shouting, or the voices surrounding them now. Nor the way the guard dragged him to the dungeons. He only recognised his friends voices, Merlin, Arthur, and Morgana, protesting as he was hauled passed their doors, insisting to know what was going on. And his sister's wailing cutting through every thought.

Daniel had done exactly as the woman had said. Once he and Uther were alone in his chamber—the guards outside asleep—he had tended to the King's duties, changing him and getting the bed ready, and when he realised he couldn't kill a man who was asleep and defenseless he had cornered Uther as he tried to get into bed and tried to kill him.

His head connected with the tiny cells opposite wall as he was thrown into it, making his teeth sing.

"Father, I demand to know what's going on." Arthur's voice came as the cell for was locked.

"He had a knife over my heart, that's what happened, and now I'm sentencing him to death. He is to be beheaded for treason tomorrow at midday." Uther said to one of the guards.

"Father! I know this man, he would never do such a thing. He has never shown anything other than undying loyalty. I do not believe that he would commit such a thing."

Daniel was confused why Arthur— _the_ _King's_ _son_ —was defending him. Having only had one conversation with the man, but he supposed he knew why anyway, he was a good man and Merlin was his friend so by extension Daniel was.

"Arthur, he had a knife at my heart." The king bit out. "I saw the hatred in his eyes, the joy in what would come next."

Not the fear or horror he truly felt. No, the King would twist the story however he liked.

"Father at least give him a _fair_ trial."

The king glared at his son. "He is to have no such thing." He swayed and braced himself on the bars, the sedative still being in his system. "I am the soul witness to what he planned to commit."

"Uther, give this man at least a trial and the kingdom will see that you're not just a ruthless tyrant. You'll show them that even when men might be guilty, you still give them a fair trial." Morgana said bitterly.

"Watch your tongue, girl." Uther hissed.

If Daniel focused, from inside his cell, he could see the madness and fury in his King's eyes. See them burn with it.

"Or I'll have you in the dungeons too."

"I'd rather be in a cell for the rest of my days than live in a kingdom that doesn't have true justice. You won't even let this man have a trial." Morgana snapped.

Crack.

Daniel didn't need to see the contact or faces. It shook him right out of his haze.

He bared his teeth and hissed at the King, now glaring down Morgana. Morgana glared back at him with the same anger and fury in her eyes, cradling her red cheek.

The King's head shot to him. Daniel now got the full extent of the madness behind the eyes. The burning fury, and deranged with lust for power.

"He is to be flogged, one-hundred times, before his beheading and fed to the Great dragon."

He saw Merlin look warily at him, almost as if he was pleading with him to shut up. But Daniel couldn't. "How fucking dare you hit a lady in your court. She is your Ward, the one you are supposed to protect. I should have ended you and your tyranny over this land when I had the chance. The slaughter of thousands of innocent people. You deserve to burn in hell."

Merlin looked practically dumbfounded by him.

Uther came up to the cell, prying his face into the gaps between bars. "I'm going to make you suffer."

"As I you, if you don't give him a trial." Morgana said. "I'll show the kingdom the tyrannical bastard you are." She ripped up her right sleeve to expose the pale, scar flecked skin beneath. "I'll tell them all about how monstrous you can be to those you love. How you give me these scars."

All of the gazes shot to her. Arthur looking almost heart broken.

Then they all slowly looked towards the king, their own hatred blazing in their eyes.

The king did not back down, did not waver. "Who would believe you over the word of a king?"

That was the confirmation they needed.

"Father, give him a trial. Or I will take her word. I will not be fair in _your_ trial."

The king glared down his son, sizing him up to see if he would stay true to his word. "You will pay for your insolence," he said pointing at both Arthur and Morgana before storming out of the dungeons.

Merlin and Arthur went to ask Morgana something, but she ripped her sleeve back down and got on her knees, up at the bars, and said to Daniel. "I promise you that prick won't get away with this."

"Morgana..." His voice was faint. He crawled forward so that his face was near next to hers. "Your arm. That prick can't get away with _that_!"

"Daniel it's the way it's always been. I'm a women, I'm always going to be treated like this."

Hurt flickered in Merlin's eyes.

"Not when I'm king." Arthur said.

"No, you only go around fucking them." Morgana said, a little unkindly.

"Morgana..." Arthur said, knowing she didn't truly mean it.

"Arthur just go." She snapped. "I don't want another Pendragon here."

Hurt flickered in his eyes, but he understood why she was so on edge. Her friend was accused of treason, and she had revealed something she probably had never revealed. He complied and left his manservant so that he could report back their interaction—if Morgana didn't want to.

"It's going to be ok, Daniel." Morgana breathed, if not slightly to reassure herself. She wrapped her hands around his forearms and he did the same. "We're going to find a way out. There's no way Uther is going to get away with this lie."

Daniel's eyes shot to Merlin's, the same expression of his own on his.

Morgana didn't miss it. "What?"

Both men didn't answer, Merlin only hunkering down to Daniel's height.

"Oh for heaven sake. You conniving, stupid, bastard. You're telling me that you actually tried?"

Again neither answered.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She shot at both of them.

"Morgana, you couldn't know. Merlin couldn't know, but I panicked. I had no one to turn to. How could I tell the King's Ward."

She bristled at the words.

"Trust me, I didn't _want_ to do it—though I sure as hell do now." He eyed her arms, anger flickering in his eyes. "In trying to find father I found a woman who would tell me who he is, but her price was that I kill the king."

"Well why didn't you tell her to piss off? I'm sure someone else would have come along."

"Morgana... She has magic. I didn't know until it was too late, and she knew I had things in this world I wouldn't want to lose."

"And you knew?" She hissed Merlin.

He gave a nod.

"Was this always the plan, or were you going to tell me."

"I only told him because I was trying to find ways out of it. Morgana, I would never hide something from you if it wasn't essential."

"Like the thing you're hiding from me now?"

Both the men looked at her, shocked and wary.

"Oh don't look at me so shocked, I know you better than you think, obviously."

"Morgana, we can't." Merlin said. "I've made an oath never to speak it."

"Always an excuse."

"Morgana," Daniel said. "Focus, we need to get me out."

"How forgetful of me." She mocked. She truly was in a bad mood. "Why should I help you get out? I'd be letting a guilty man free." She snarled.

"Don't be silly Morgana, Daniel is our friend." Merlin said. "He's my best friend."

"Oh how romantic." She snapped.

"Morgana..." Daniel said.

She turned back to look at him. "What?" She snapped yet again, but she wasn't able to glare at him before he captured her mouth with his.

He had expected her to recoil from him, slap him, anything just to get her out of this mindset. He hadn't expected her to lean into it, to tighten her grip on his forearms and open her mouth. He cupped her cheek and found a tear rolling down it.

He opened his eyes and broke off the kiss, sweeping away the tear. A sad smile on his face.

Morgana looked into his eyes before pulling him close again and kissing him deeper.

Daniel thanked the gods the guards weren't there, but poor Merlin.

"Don't ever—" She said onto his lips "—take me for a girl where everything can be fixed with a kiss."

Daniel tried to move away, to take a better look at her, but Morgana kept them forehead to forehead. He saw. He saw out of the corner of his eye stand up, moving back slightly, crossing his arms.

"I'm not so fickle." She paused before saying, "And don't let them take you away from me."

"I'm not going anywhere." He hated the lie on his lips. The promise he could not keep.

She let out low a laugh, "You and me both. I'll gladly testify against the king and do whatever it takes for you to be released. Even if it means spending the rest of my life in a dungeon."

"And I shall do the same." Merlin said, looking a little vacant. "You will not die."

Daniel still stared into Morgana's eyes. "I know you're pissed that I didn't tell you, but you need to understand, I had no choice—we had no choice."

"Daniel, I love you... but if you ever try to kiss me again, I will cut off your manhood, small as it might be."

"There's the Morgana I know and love." He cradled her cheek. "And I can assure you, my lady, that my manhood is not as small as you think."

"Pretty big then," she said through a teethy grin.

"You have thought about it, my lady?"

"If you weren't on the other side of this cell, I would smack that smirk of your face."

"A cell is enough to keep you away?"

"Do you know what a cell is?"

"The thing that you have to get me out of."

"You sly bastard."

He could practically feel the awkwardness leaking from Merlin, and he felt bad again. He shouldn't be flirting with her especially in front of him.

Daniel heard the running footsteps before she burst in. Gwen dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"This is what you couldn't tell father and I." She breathed into his ear before retracting her arms. Instead she slapped him across the face. "You bastard! How dare you keep something so big from us. We're your family, Dan. You might be desperate, but if you go near this again, I'll kill you myself."

"I love you too." He breathed out and gave a slight smile.

She turned back to the others. "So how are we getting him out?"

"Gwen, we can't. He's been—"

"Don't you dare give me that bullshit, Merlin." She pointed a finger at him, tears clouding her eyes. "You love him as much as I do, so don't you dare tell me we are going to let him die by the hand of Uther."

"Gwen," Morgana placed a reassuring hand on her arm. "He's not going to die."

"But he—" She grappled at the Lady's arms.

"He'll be fine. No one I love will ever be harmed by Uther." The ferocity in her eyes made even Daniel believe her, and question the safety of the King if he ever laid a hand on any of them. If anything, she looked like a storm, ready to explode—as if it were real fire that burned behind those blue eyes. "So how do we get him out?" She turned to Merlin.

He uncrossed his arms and strode a little closer to them. "If Daniel says he was told to kill the King by a sorcerer, then why would the King not believe him for a second?"

"But then Uther will hunt down every suspected sorcerer and execute them. No," Morgana shook her head. "I won't allow it."

"So we make our own." Gwen said. "We find a poultice under his pillow and have Gaius track it back to its creator and have the sorcerer who made you do it killed that way. That way we can solve two problems at once."

"No!" Daniel almost blurted.

Morgana and Gwen frowned at him but Merlin gave him a knowing look. "Why?" Morgana asked. "This is possibly the best plan I've ever heard."

"Morgana, I will always tell you the truth, but this is the one thing I can not tell you. Please forgive me, but I do it for you."

They both frowned at him. "Not getting everything fixed is for me?"

"Just. If she was killed... I would never be able to forgive myself."

"You know her?!"

"No!" He sighed. "Just trust me."

They placed their foreheads together. "Only this once." She breathed.

"So who are we going to blame?" Gwen asked.

"Me." Merlin said.


	6. Travelling Companions

"I'm coming with you." Morgana said striding towards Merlin, tightening the buckles on her leather gloves. Her chain mail shirt clinking as she walked. She had averted many prying eyes by making sure her cloak covered most of her body, concealing the chain mail and trousers. She steadied her hand on the pommel of her sword, a beautiful, powerful one made by Daniel's father, her father's seal—a lion—carved into the pommel. It bore as a constant reminder of what she had to lose.

The servant next to her walked her horse beside her, already straddled and packed with few days worth of food and a bedroll.

"No." He said, and continued buckling up the straddle. He himself had no armour or sword on him—not that Merlin would have a clue how to wield one. He was dressed in his usual servant attire, perhaps a small hunting knife underneath his coat.

"Well you can't stop me." Morgana excused the servant and took the reigns. "You're not doing this alone."

"You know I have to."

"You don't and you won't."

"Morgana..."

"Merlin, the plan is a good one, but it can go wrong, in so many ways. At least with two people we have more chance of it working."

"Morgana, you are the King's ward. You don't go out of these walls without the King's knowing."

"Oh he knows. I'm off to pick some flowers in a safer part in the kingdom. There's no way he'd let me stay me stay anywhere near a place where a wild beast in rampaging. I can't defend myself, I'm just a girl." She said mockingly. "Merlin, Arthur's given Daniel another week, perhaps, but not much more. Gaius told you that they are a few days ride west. If all goes to plan we'll just make it back in time."

"I know, I know. But Morgana, you can't come."

"Watch me." She straddled her horse. "You think that I'm just going to sit around while my friend's life hangs in the balance?"

He straddled his horse and came up beside her. "I can't protect you like your guards out in the forest."

"You idiot. I'm here to protect _you._ You seriously think that I'll let you go out into he woods unprotected?"

The side of his lips jerked upwards slightly, though he kept his face forward. "Why must you women always be so strong headed."

"To keep you men down to the ground with all that misplaced ego you have."

"A very good point, but wouldn't Uther send you with an entire escort to wherever he's sent you off to?"

She gave him a mischievous grin. "I might have given them the slip." She gave her horse a slight kick and started off on a slow trot down the street to the gates.

Merlin followed, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What do you mean when you say that?"

"We're not to leave for another few hours."

"And the King won't think that you've been captured?" Merlin asked cautiously

"He knows I'm angry with him, and that the sentries will likely find me."

"And when they don't?"

"We'll hopefully be back by then."

Morgana sped up a bit as they approached the open gates.

"Morgana, I still think you shouldn't come."

"I know you do, but you don't get a choice. Daniel is not going to die, or ever. Especially because of you."

"And what of your death?"

"You can kill me all you want, but Daniel will not die."

She cleared the gate with a nod to the guards and set off at a gallop, not caring what merlin reply might have been.

* * *

They travelled for a few hours in silence, too occupied with what they were going to do, until they stopped at a stream to fill up their water-skins, only muttering things of little importance or relevance.

They followed it for a few more hours before making camp when it became too dark to see the road they were following. If they followed the stream for another day it would lead them to the druids, perhaps less.

They sat in solitude as they ate their beans and bread in front of the small fire they had erected.

Fires would have normally been out of the question at night, at least in the Fae times, as it would attract the wrong sort of attention. From night-crawlers to manticore to serkets would have preyed on any travellers at night in the woods dumb enough to flash their position about. But now after the King's purge on magic and the beasts, only the occasional beast was sighted.

Morgana wanted to strip her chain mail off and changed into a warmer coat as she got ready for bed, because the chain mail would only work as a hindrance at night as the temperatures dropped, but she didn't allow herself, just in case one of the creatures still roamed these woods. She merely wrapped her cloak around her as tight as she could, hoping it would keep her warm through the night.

They said their goodnights softly as they both eased into their bedrolls, facing each other around the now dwindling fire.

Even as she slipped into her bedroll, the thin blanket over her didn't stop her from shivering.

After a few minutes of teeth clattering together, Merlin mused, "Your shivering is practically audible." A pause. "Do you want my blanket?"

"Then you'll freeze."

"Better than the King's ward."

"Always so righteous."

"Only when Arthur's not here. I just make up for him."

"Though you are smart enough not to also make up for his arrogance." She mused.

"There's enough of that already in the world."

She let out a light laugh. "At least he can take care of the beasts he sent upon himself. That part of the plan was ingenious. Get the King distracted by a bloody hippogriff terrorising his people so that he forgets about a tiny attempt on his life."

"I try my best." There was a pause. "Morgana, do you want me to move over and use body heat to warm you?"

"Scandalous Merlin. What would the kingdom think if they saw us that close?"

"What would they say if they knew their Lady was seeking the druids to help her guilty friend, who's tried for treason, walk free?"

"I'm sure I'd be the talk of the town."

Her teeth started chattering again and she finally relented, agreeing to him moving closer.

He lay his bedroll next to hers and hunkered down onto it, his back to her.

She pressed her own back into his and tried to steal his almost magical warmth.

Morgana could feel his unease and knew it was more than him simply lying next to her. "What is it?" She asked tentatively.

"Sorry?"

"Why are you so uneasy? And don't tell me it's because of our position."

"I..." he sighed. "You say you love Daniel."

"By the gods Merlin, that's why you're uneasy?"

She felt his shoulder shrug slightly.

"You've known him four, five months and you've never really showed that kind of affection."

"Ok before you go on, I love him in the way that you love him. He's like family."

"You say that having only known him for five months."

"He... he understands."

"Understands what?"

"Me." She said simply. "Everything I do he knows why I do it and can almost predict it before I do it. He makes me laugh in the most absurd ways, and for one thing... isn't afraid of me. It's like we're two pieces of a puzzle."

"It sounds like you two should elope together."

"Stop being a jealous prat, it doesn't suite you. Like I said, I don't feel romantic towards him. We're just made together to be friends. Just like you and Arthur." She knew Merlin went to say something, feeling him take in a breath, but cut him off before any sound came out. "Don't even try to deny it. You two aren't worst enemies, you're friends. I used to get jealous of you two, that bond you had. I had Gwen, but even so, I knew it wasn't as strong as yours. I even got jealous of you and Gwen. The joy you brought to each other." He took in another breath, but she said. "Yes I know you are seeing her, she tells me most things."

Merlin's back seemed to curl inwards. "I'm... I'm not seeing her anymore."

Morgana stiffened.

"I broke it off just before we saw Daniel. That's why she didn't come in with us, she had run off to..." he couldn't say it.

"I always thought you two were made for each other too."

"I feel horrible for saying this but she is the kindest person I have ever or probably will ever meet... and I grew bored of her. She never challenged me or questioned me."

"You _are_ dick, that will always be so," she closed her eyes, trying not to think about what she said next. "But I know what you mean. Daniel challenges me most days in different ways—most times to annoy me—and without that he'd just be another servant who is too afraid of me. Gwen is kind and gentle, and I think she loved you so much that she was afraid to screw it up, and by challenging you she might build a wall between you two. She challenges me all the time, and Arthur almost none stop—behind his back that is. She will fight for what is right until her last breath."

"So you're saying I did the wrong thing?"

Morgana was silent for a few moments. "Perhaps there were other reasons, perhaps you're just a dick, but I think you need think about what it's going to be like without her."

"I think I know what that's like already. I've felt detached from her for a few months now."

"Then maybe you did the right thing, for you. But I know she will never stop loving you. You were her first. So never forget that."

Morgana left the conversation at that, moving into a more comfortable position on the bed roll and settling down.

She was about to close her eyes when she heard his faint voice whisper, "she was mine too."

Morgana stiffened, she had never considered. An uneasy silence fell over them.

She tried to sleep, but the threat of what waited out there and what they had said hung over her.

* * *

They set off again as the sun broke the horizon, neither able to get much sleep.

Again they rode in silence, Morgana mulling over thoughts running through her head. And once again only started talking when they were refilling their water-skins.

Morgana mulled over her thoughts as she rolled up her sleeves to make sure that they didn't get wet as she dunked her water-skin into the steam.

Once she had filled hers she walked back to her horse and waited for Merlin, thoughts streaming through her head so much she didn't even bother to roll down her sleeves.

She finally picked up the courage to tell him her persistence on the matter of her coming, and said quietly, "Merlin, you know I love Daniel... but that's not why I'm here. I'm here for you."

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked up at her. "What do you mean my lady?"

She huffed and looked away. "You'll think me mad, but I had a dream about this, months before now. I've had dreams like this, dreams that have come to fruition."

"Morgana..."

"I saw Arthur die. Saw him drugged and then have a sword driven into the back of his skull. It was that crazy lady who you saved him from that night you were appointed as his manservant. I dreamt of it so many times, with so many variations, but never with you there. I dreamt about this before I even knew who Daniel was. I always brushed it off as a recurring nightmare. But Merlin, I have seen such horrid things. Such horrid..." She trailed off. "I can't let them come true. And I thought if I came with you I'd be able to save you. If there was someone else, you'd be safe."

She felt fingers graze her arm, and tears run down her cheeks.

"The druids turned on you, thinking you were a spy for the King, you were taken before their leader and she was cunning. She knew you worked in Camelot. There was someone else there, but it wasn't me. I thought that if I was there instead of them I would be able to save you. That they wouldn't able to hurt you in such ways, wouldn't be able to turn you into that husk, that liar." An uncontrollable sob escaped her lips.

"Morgana, the druids are a peaceful people. I promise they won't hurt either of us."

"These weren't druids, they were fae."

"They wouldn't be hiding in the woods then, they'd be somewhere a little more discreet, and grand. Morgana, I promise you, I won't let anything harm me, or you."

Merlin let out a slight groan, as blood splattered Morgana's face.

She screamed as she saw the arrow protruding out of Merlin's left shoulder. Screamed at the blood trickling from the wound, and the greenish tinge that coated the arrowhead.

She whirled, sword in hand, and scouted for their attacker and where to strike.

Merlin let out a cry of pain and her eyes shot to him, at how pale he suddenly was.

She had two choices: go hunt for their attacker and leave Merlin, or treat him and hope they don't come back.

Another arrow shot through the air towards her, but she was faster and cut it down, greenish liquid splattered on her sword.

She looked to towards where it had been fired. She could see a small figure on the ledge of the cliff, hiding behind a thick oak tree.

Merlin cried again, and anger surged through her veins. It was so strong that it almost felt like a real, living thing, coursing through her veins.

She growled in their attackers direction, and to her surprise, they retreated, almost stumbling as they ran away.

She felt something icy cold on her hand and arm. She looked down at them and to her horror saw shadows contorted down her arm and almost risen up off her hands in spikes.

She stumbled back, almost tripping over Merlin. She screamed and she started shaking as tears welled in her eyes. She tried blinking them away as they blurred her vision, but as she looked back her arms were back to their normal pale shade.

She stared at her hands, turning them over frantically. No sign of the shadows or whatever it was. She must have imagined them.

Merlin gave out another cry and she turned her attention to him. She almost vomited as she did. The arrow had cut clean through his shoulder and protruded angrily out the other side, green and red liquid dripping from its point.

"It's going to be ok." She said as she cradled him. "I just need to get the arrow out and bandage you up. I've seen Gaius nurse men with worse wounds. You'll be fine." Her voice cracked on the last word.

New tears, different tears, now cascaded down her cheeks. She moved him onto his right side so she could start her work, and he tried to muffle his cry of pain.

Shaking hands moved towards the wound, her hands moved. She clenched them into a fist and tried to make them stop, but saw the blood on them and balled her fists even tighter.

"I need to brake it in half, yeah? Then remove the halves separately."

Merlin nodded slightly, painfully.

She heard a crunch of twigs and her head spun towards the sound. The attacker had returned and now stood a few feet in front of her.

He was a scrawny, dirty man, with mousey brown hair and eyes and a dark cloak over half of his face. He held a sword out to her throat.

She grabbed for her sword she had dropped beside Merlin and sprung to her feet, advancing on him. "How dare you hurt my friend!" She grit out, stopping a few feet away from him.

"You're going to die, little girl." A yellow, cruel grin shone from beneath the hood.

"I'm not a little girl." She hissed. "I'm a woman with blood on her hands."

Morgana couldn't think what to say, so she came out with that, only because it was the one thing clouding her thoughts, Merlin sticky blood on her hands.

He lunged, swiping high and right. She deflected it easily, but he compensated and twirled with the motion of the sword before coming around again and attacking her open left side, low. She managed to see the move just in time to block it, but had to let go with one hand. She used this to her advantage she punched him in the face with her free hand. The man staggered back, stunned. She twirled her sword in her hand, loosening up herself wrist, before she clasped it sword in her two hands again.

He struck again high and right, this time she tried to disarm him by twisting his sword but he held on strong. He plunged his sword down and almost made her lose her footing, and managed to graze her collarbone. Morgana shook it off, the cut was only a mere hinderance, she told herself, it would only distract her.

He lunged again, this time for her left, she dodged and brought the pommel of her sword down on his wrist. The contact could have been bone shattering but as she had planned, the man's hand sprung open on the contact releasing his sword onto the floor. She moved forward, locking his wrist underneath her armpit and spun, hitting his nose with her free elbow. She let go then swiped her blade across his mere leather protected waist, eliciting a cry of pain from him.

He crumpled to his knees, holding his free hand over his wound as blood seeped through it. Then he swiped his sword angrily, too fast for Morgana to register, across her left leg.

The cut was a deep gash, and she felt her knee buckle. Her right knee thundered against the ground and in her anger she drove the sword into his chest. It felt like she might have punctured a lung.

The man crumpled into the orange leaves lining the floor of the forest and with his final gasps for breath died with blood spilling it off his mouth.

Morgana removed her sword and limped over to Merlin's pale form, using her sword to steady her, her own vision blurring as her leg leaked blood, too much blood.

She didn't allow herself to grimace as she crumpled next to him and started to cut the arrow with a hunting knife from her pocket.

Black patches covered her vision but she kept on sawing through the arrow. She was losing more blood than he was.

She cut through the arrow before she heard the people whispering, coming closer.

She brandished the knife in their direction, by this time mere blurred shapes with voices.

"We mean you no harm, my lady. We only wish to help."

They were cloaked—she could figure that much out—but she could have sworn that despite the voice she clearly heard, their lips did not move.

Her vision swam but she bared her teeth and said, "Get away. If you know what's good for you, you won't touch my friend or me. If I die the King himself will hunt you down."

"We do not wish to cause you any harm, lady Morgana, we only wish to aid."

Even as they came closer she still did not see their lips move.

"You and Merlin have been looking for us."

She blinked profusely but her vision darkened and she felt herself falling, falling into the dark.

She didn't feel herself be carried away by one of the men, nor anything else as she fell into unconsciousness.


End file.
